scott



Nov. 20 1 923 A. A. SCQTT APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BURNT BRICK FROM A KILN, STACK, PILE O THE LIKE Filed April 28. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 20,1923 A 1,474,793

A. A. SCOTT APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BURNT BRICK FROM A KILN, STACK, FILE OR THE LIKE Filed A r-11 2s 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Alum flrmm I Nov. 20, 1923 1,474,793

A. A. SCOTT APPARATUS FOR REMOVI NG BURNT BRICK FROM A KILN, STACK, FILE OR THE LIKE Filed April 28 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 55 I F IG. 3

(1153501 Liq Nov. 20, 1923 1,474,793

A. A. SCOTT APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BURNT BRICK FROM A KILN, STACK, FILE OR THE LIKE Filed April 28 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIIG.4. 40 21 6H0: we 1 Nov. 20,1923 1,474,793

A. A. sco'r'r APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BURNT BRICK FROM A KILN, STACK, FILE OR THE LIKE Filed April 28 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.5.

attoznzz Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER A. SCOTT, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNGR T0 BALTIIFIOBE TRUST COIII'PANY, TRUmTEE.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING- BUBNT BRICK FROM .Q. KI N, ETAGK, FILE, OR THE LIKE.

Application filed April 28,

To all "vi/iamit may :gOltCGif'i-l Be it known that l, A 'xnnnn A. Soorr, a citizen of the United States, resident of Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tenne-iee, have invented an improvement in Apparatus for Removing Burnt Brick from a Kiln, Stack, File, or the like, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improved apparatus for removing burnt brick from a pile, stack or the like.

After a kiln of brick is burnt it is neces sary to remove the brick therefrom, either for piling elsewhere or to transport the same in wagons, trucks, railroad cars, or boats, and heretofore it has been customary in practise to remove the brick by hand, using wheelbarrovs, and a large number of operatives. My present invention COII'CGII1 plates the provision of automatic machinery so constructed and arranged as to engage, separate and remove or pull ofii' from the face of the kiln, one or more rows of bricks and a plurality of brick in each row. It will be appreciated that a kiln of brick leaves the successive courses of brick piled with spacing or recesses therebetween, and taking advantage of this feature I provide a conveyor, having a plurality of endless chains, mounted upon pivotally movable arms, and brick engaging devices on each chain, constructed for and arranged to separate and pull the brick or rows of brick oit "the face of the kiln, starting at the top. This conveyor may be raised and lowered as desired and moved toward the successive faces of the kiln on which the removing operation is to be performed, the entire apparatus being preferably suspended from overhead crane or other suitable carrier permitting this operation.

An important feature of my present brick handling devices, consisists in the provision of means which will automatically follow the undulations in the courses of the burnt brick.

As is well known, brick settles unevenly throughout the kiln, and consequently the course of the brick, which may have been in substantially true horizontal alinement when the kiln was set, are in disalined contour after burning. My apparatus enables each eriel No. 485,299.

dependently movable vertically in order to' follow this uneven line of the courses of brick after burning.

In combination with these removing chains, 1 provide a receiving hopper, which can be off any suitable size and of a capacity sufiicient to receive and contain any predetermined number ot brick, as-for example, a truck load. When the burnt brick are re moved and simultaneously the hopper filled, it is feasible to swing the entire hopper and removing apparatus over a truck, chute, or the like and release the hopper load of brick. In this matter great speed in unloading brick from a kiln and transferring lb to and loading it onto a truck for immediate transportation is permitted in a substantially automatic manner and without manual handling of the brick. Any suitable means of operating the brick engaging members can be provided, but I prefer to utilize a small motor, carried directly on the hopper, and capable or" ready and direct appliance of power to each of the chain carrying arms. Means are also provided to insure the proper action of the brick engagin devices, means affording a proper thrust of the same during the brick removing operation, and means for actuating all the chains and conveying devices in synchronism while permitting the raising and lowering of each arm independently to follow the inequalities in the brick kiln as it has settled as above explained.

Further features of the invention, novel combinations of parts and details will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, iliustrating a preferred embodiment oi my invention,

Fig. l is a side view of the unloading apparatus in operative position on the face of a kiln;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the apparatus 3 is front view of the same, enlarged;

Fig. 4 is a plan view;

Fig. 5 is a rear end view;

F 6 is a detailed fragmentary view;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line 7 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a view partly in cross-section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the pivoted members carrying the outer wheel and chain;

Fig. 10 is a side pivoted member; and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of the brick engaging members on the revolving chains.

My invention contemplates the utilization of a combined unloading member or members and a receiving hopper or receptacle to be moved in unison and preferably by the same supporting member, transversely as well as vertically over the face of a kiln of burnt brick, or a stack or pile of brick to be removed, and for this purpose may be of any suitable length, width, size or other suitable dimensions Preferably herein shown I provide a receptacle of a size suitable to re ceive from the unloading devices a mass of brick sullicient for a complete truck load. Therefore the apparatus can be applied to the face of a brick stack or kiln, operated to fill the receptacle completely, and then unloaded instantly by the opening of a chute door or release of a portion of the bottom of the receptacle, to oeliver the entire load into the waiting truck, car or wagon. Furthermore the entire apparatus can be moved. or swung when loaded, into position over the truck or car for instant unloading and then be repositioned for separating and removing the additional mass of brick from the kiln. In the meanwhile the loaded truck or car is moved and another one positioned for receiving the next load of the apparatus.

Q /ly invention, therefore, is a combined brick separating and removing, and truck loading device of any suitable size, power and capacity.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l illus trates in diagrammatic form a mass of brick piled in usual hacked relation as in brick kiln, from which the brick are to be Wed alter burning. The alternate ses of brick are usually piled'or hacked at right angles to each other, illustrated in the rows 2 and 3, the entire brick stack being designated generally by the reference character 1.

My apparatus comprises a hopper indieatcd'at 5 having the front walls 6 and 7 at an angle or bevel and extending to the rear wall 8 which is preferably vertical. the sides or ends 9 completing the receptacle or hopper and with bearing or wearing strip 10 along the front and uppermost edge for contact with the face of the kiln l. The hopper is also provided with a swinging or sliding door 12, adapted to be held by any suitablelatch, such for example as 13, which can be tripped in any usual or de sired manner. This hopper is made of sheet iron, suitably reinforced or bolted at the corners and edges and isopen at the top, but with an extending frameworktherefrom to ing side arms or braves 21, 21, are bolted to the ends 9 and a cross brace 22 extends upr l'ler strengthwardly bhblefl'Ol to be ened by frame members 111 ng the cross brace 22 with the rear brackets From the cross brace 22 to the cross br: clret 16 is a support 25, to carry the reducing geari at 26 from the motor 20. This frame a; a rigid, light and firm construction from which the hopper is carried and whicl framework in turn carries the operating one moving parts of the mechanism. Preferably the entire apparatus is supported by a bolt 29, secured to an overhead pulley 80, piroted between a yoke arms 31 attached to said bolt 29 or by any other suitable means, a hoisting and lowering cable 33 to an overheai crane or other support permit-- ting the raisi and lowering, as well as the forward and h movement and universal adjust nt ppiication of the apparatus to the brick kiln. positioning over the truck,

This bolt 29 is positioned to permit apparatus to swivel or r for sclfauljuc'k inent against the face if the brick while still normally tendin to maintain the entire apparatus in p :eetermined plane.

Qn the torward crossbar 22 a plate 35, preferably as an an le iron attached to the topmost part of the framework. This constitutes a rest, stop or guard prevent Lite yielding part of brick engaging and removing devices from tailing downwardly.

as will be explained. Pivoted to the for wardly extendingl cket arms 21. is shaft :l-O extending widthwise of the entire ratus and constituting a driving means for the sprocket chains and brick engaging devices, This shaft 40 is providednith a sprocket wheel 4:1 which will be run by a chain 4-2, the same geared to a pulley oprated through the reductiongearing 26 from the motor 20. Preferably this sprocket wheel and thedriving n'ieans are arranged substantially centrally of the shaft 40 as shown in Fig. a. Mounted on the shaft 40 and keyed thereto are a plurality of pulleys 50. 50, spaced apart by collars or rings 45, which also space the arms 46, 46, through which the shaft 40 extends and which arms run forwardly for the length desired to consti ently of the adjacent set of wheels during the from the pulley as well as from each other (see Fig. 6).

Attached to each chain is a plurality oi brick engaging and separatin inenil' era 60, having a forwardly pointing or extending flange and a rearward portion 62. The operation of these devices will be readily hIlClOISlJOOEl on reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The forward arm 61 is slightly pointed and therefore as the chain 55 goes around the outer pulley 51, this point 61 015 the pushing device will enter between the interstices in the adjacent brick, and as the travel of the chain continues, the flange portion 62 will bear against the chain and thus keep the point 61 vertical, thereby ren'ioving and pulling oil the brick thus engaged. The point 61 quickly finds the interstices and each chain with the pushing member 60 being free to be raised and lowered as desired or as it finds the work, each chain automatically accommodating itself to the unevennesses in the horizontal plane of the work engaged. All the chains being operated in unison practically pull off the brick together and the apparatus being gradually lowered till a plurality of courses have been removed within the range of the pusher 60, the hopper is quickly filled.

In order to maintain the outer pulleys in a substantially horizontal alinement with the inner pulleys, alternate bracket members for each set are provided with relatively long rearwardly extending arn'is 70, projectin under the plate .35. Thus these supporti arnzs and the outer pulleys 51 can be raised freely, but will not be depressed below the horizontal plane of the inner pulley 50. prefer to make the bracket arms having rearwardly extending portions slight- ')il'SOt as shown in 9,-to more surely 'l ir the pushers 60 as they complete their in around the pulleys 50 and 51, pivoting se arms on the shaft 50 at 71, eyond the -..set or right portion 72 as clearly shown in Fig. 9.

The operation of each one oil-the several chains and pnshers identical, but each folus its own individual brick engaging, separating and removing action, as well as -flaeing automatically self-adjusting for the horizontal plane from which the brick are engaged and removed.

I have illustrated in Fig. l, in dotted lines,

the height to which these indepe l which is conside ited such brick removing devices as are 1liustrate( in the drawings wherein only ,two i n brick veal. since these ina in rial pract' The entire ap ously operatr from the face of brick. Also the .pparatus may be applied to the face of the iln and moved. continuously thereacross, 1e accumulated brick within the receptacle being discharged -tron. time to time by Jening the gate 12 at any desired point, as e apparatus moves over trucks, cars, or their transporting devices. The lifting cale being over the aiproximate center of gravi;y or" the device, it is maintained norally level, yet free to adjust itself at all mes against the particular work, kiln, etc. My present invention is further described and defined in the form 01 claims as follows:

1. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a brick carrying receptacle, means cooperating with said receptacle to extend therefrom, and engage the rows of brick remote from said receptacle, said engaging constituting brick removing means to transer brick from. a stack to the receptacle, and including an endless conveyor, having brick moving devices thereon, said .21 lless conveyor being arranged for varivertical positions with regard to the rlpparatus of the kind described, comprising a brick carrying receptacle, means cooperating with said receptacle to extend therefrom, and engage the rows of brick remote from said receptacle, said engaging inc-a 313.0011Stli11ll3l11g the brick removing means to transfer brick from the stack to the receptacle, and including a plurality of endless conveyors, each having brick moving devices thereon, each of said conveyors being inde- 1 ref/4,793

ovci on or varysisting in a brick hopper, means on said :5 0-1-1, means to raise and lower said hopper, a plurality of brick engaging devices extending from said hopper Jeyond the portion adapted to contact with the face of the stack, ,1 id briclr engaging devices comprising a lurality of endless conveyors, arranged and mounted to move over the top est courses of the brick stack, With provision for varying adjustment in height of each conveyor,

and means to rotate said endless conveyors. i" i While permit-ting freedom or vertical movement of each conve or.

0. Apparatus f the kind described, cornbrick carrying hopper, a plurality conveyors mounted on said hopper, and nipted to move brick i rorn stack into ho: each conveyor having a plurality c orseparating and moving members, said members having a rearwardly extending Zia; adapted to bear against the conveyor to afford thrust bearing to move the brick conveyed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' ALEXANDER A. SCQTT. 

